Dubbers was approved for a Nutritionist thru Early Intervention when he was about ten months old, with the main objective to increase his weight. Nutrition can be especially important to children with the following: Acid Reflux, Autism, Celiac Disease, Cerebral Palsy, Diabetes, Failure to Thrive/Feeding Tubes, Oral Motor Delays, Premature Birth, and Sensory issues, to name a few.
We were very fortunate to have Deborah Malkoff-Cohen assigned to his case, who quickly became an integral part of his team. She took into consideration both the medical and developmental factors and devised appropriate feeding schedules along with a variety of menu options for each meal of the day. Tips on calorie “boosters” and supplements were also always part of our discussion and plan.
There was a Nutritionist at Dubbers’ GI Doctor’s office; however, the couple times we met, I felt the suggestions were very generic. Deborah provides not only a great personality but fun and actually tasty suggestions! She was constantly emailing or texting me delicious recipes as she thought of or came across. Deborah was Dubbers’ longest consistent therapist during EI and we remain great friends to this day.
Deborah wears a lot of “Nutrition” hats, as she not only evaluates potential EI cases and has her own private practice, but is part of the team at the Newman Family Support Center at NYU Langone for children and adults with cleft palate or craniofacial conditions. She also just became a new Mom in April to an adorable baby boy, Grayson! Please read more about Deborah and her services at https://www.nyceatwell.com or on her FB page, City Kids Nutrition.
